Spring hinge for range surface units



June 19, 1956 B. J. VALLORANI ET AL 2,751,487

SPRING HINGE FOR RANGE SURFACE UNITS Filed April 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS BE/V J. VALLO/PA/V/ CLARENCE J. M CO/V/VELL A TTOR/VEY June 1956 B. J. VALLORANI ET AL 7 SPRING HINGE FOR RANGE SURFACE UNITS Filed April 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 y 32 I [Huh g) 5 1713 (9V5 5. fl l a1 M" f If 6 I [a 72 631 t? 1 10 A I I I 5 $2 2M & IE1 10 6 J4 z 142:1 A; W 9.1 2

I I, "F g; 3 J2 BE/V a. VALLORA /v/ 4 11 QCLARE/VCE J. M6 ON/VELL 6AM 1. 1464 m ATTORNEY $PRING HHNGE EUR RANGE SURFAiIE UNITS Application April 29, 1%3, enial No. 351,9S2

4 (Claims. (Cl. 21-37) This invention relates to an improved hinge and heating element support assembly for the surface cooking units of an electric range or the like.

It is a principal object of our invention to provide an improved hinge construction which will position the cooking unit in proper operating position on the cooking top of the range and yet permit the unit to be swung upward to a stable raised position when desired.

It is another object of our invention to provide a simple and effective means for securing a heating element of the tubular metallic sheathed type to a support structure and for securing said structure hingedly to a cooking range or the like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cooking unit hinge structure which of itself forms an efficient means for grounding the sheath of the heating elements to the range body.

In a presently preferred form, one element of the hinge comprises a strip of spring-temper metal secured at one end to the range frame, and having intermediate its ends an upstanding wall to which is pivotally attached a hinge arm arranged for securement to the heating element support structure. The free end of the spring metal hinge element is bent back on itself to provide an eifective spring arm overlying the pivot wall. The hinge arm terminates in a tip disposed above the pivot point. This tip portion is continuously resiliently engaged by the spring arm, and the normal relation of the point of engagement to the pivot point is such that the hinge arm and its associated cooking unit assembly are urged into rotation in the direction of the cooking top. When the unit is swung upwardly, the pivot point relationship changes to one in which the spring arm maintains the unit in its raised position. Desirably, the spring-arm portion is formed with a detent shoulder which cooperates with the hinge arm tip to provide a positive means for maintaining the cooking unit in said raised position. The hinge is electrically connected to the range frame, and at all times is electrically connected to the hinge arm tes Patent by reason of the continuous pressure engagement of the 7 spring member and the tip of the hinge arm. In this fashion, an electrical connection is established between the range frame and the hinge; and by using as a portion of the heating element support means a metallic structure in electrical connection with the hinge, the metallic sheath of the heating element is effectively grounded.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof read in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of an electric range and cooking unit, with portions of the range cooking top broken away, and portions of the cooking unit in sections;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the cooking unit;

Fig. 4 is a side sectional elevation taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an end sectional elevation, taken along lines 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the hinge element showing the unit in raised position.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the cooking top 1 of an electric range is formed with a downwardly extending flange 2 which defines a circular opening. A cooking unit 3 is arranged to be supported within said opening; it is well-known practice, for example, to provide a trim ring 4- having a downwardly extending flange portion 5 into which project legs 6 of a heating element support structure, commonly known in the art as a spider. Carried by said spider are the flat coils 7, 8 of the heating element. These coils are preferably of the tubular metallic sheathed type such as shown in the C. C. Abbott Patent No. 1,367,341 of February 1, 1921, flattened pursuant to the teachings of Vogel U. S. 2,094,480, granted September 28, 1937, for Electric Heater. A combination drip and reflector pan 9 is removably supported on a horizontal ledge 2.1 at the base of the flange 2.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each heating element coil has two terminal portions, respectively 7.1, 7.2, and 8.1, 8.2, which reach downwardly through the opening 9.1 of the reflector pan and then extend rearwardly in a common horizontal plane to a position below the range cooking top and well to the rear of the cooking top opening. Each terminal portion is advantageously provided with a drip shield such as 8.3, Fig. 4, and the terminal ends have brazed thereto connector plates 10 to which the flexible conductors of the range wiring system are attached. It is usual to enclose the terminals and connection plates of the elements with an insulated connection block 10.1. It will be understood that the above noted structual details are Well known in the art and merely typify one of the numerous electric cooking unit constructions with which our invention is applicable.

It is advantageous to make the heating element coils of low mass and to mount them for maximum freedom of movement on the support spider. The low mass insures quick heating; freedom of movement, and particularly movement in vertical directions, is effective to bring the heating element coils into better contact with a cooking vessel having an irregular bottom. The previous practice of securing each coil to the spider at at least one position restrained the coils against movement, but was considered necessary for a properly integrated cooking unit assembly. In the present invention, we provide complete freedom of movement of the working portions of the coils, and facilitate replacement of individual coils in the field, by using a rigid clamping bracket which fixes one terminal portion, only, of each heating coil with respect to the spider. The convolutions of the coils are not fastened. In a presently preferred form, we provide a rigid bracket 11, having an arm portion 11.1 secured to the leg 6.1 of the spider and extending downwardly and rearwardly therefrom. An outwardly extending bracket plate 11.2 is parallel to the plane defined by the upper edge portions of the legs of the support spider, and overlies the terminal portions 7.2 and $1. Beneath said terminal portions is a clamping member 11.3 having arcuate notches as shown in Fig. 5 to maintain spacing of the terminal portions; and by means such as the machine screw or equivalent 11.4, said portions may be clamped securely against the bracket plate.

Referring again to Figs. 3 and 4, the hinge includes a fixed element 12 having a forked end 12.1 arranged for securement to the flange 2 of the cooking top, a central portion having the upstanding pivot wall 12.2, and a rear portion which extends upwardly and forwardly to provide an active spring arm 12.3 which is spaced above the pivot wall. The forked end 12.1 is advantageously aflixed to the range by means of a sheet metal screw or other fastening device which has threads which bite into the metal of the range body. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the wall 12.2 is formed upwardly at the side of the hinge member, and the spring arm 12.3 is offset so as to position it centrally with respect to the wall. The spring arm is formed with a shallow step 12.4.

The complementary hinge element 14 comprises a generally U-shaped structure having a forward leg suitably permanently secured to the spider leg 6.1, a central portion reaching rearwardly below the cooking top, and an upwardly extending leg at which a rivet 14.1 provides a tight pivotal attachment with the pivot wall 12.2. It will be noted from the Fig. 1 that the hinge element 12 is suitably arranged to position the point of securement of the hinge to the range body in line with the spider leg 6.1, which in turn is diametrical of the heating unit.

Immediately above the pivot 14.1 the leg portion of hinge element 14 has a rounded tip or apex 14.2 disposed between the pivot and the range top flange 2 when the cooking element is in operative position as shown in Fig. 2. The hinge elements are so proportioned that when the hinge is assembled, the efiort of the spring arm 12.3 is always in a downward direction, and it is therefore apparent that when the hinge is mounted on the flange 2, the spring element under normal usage urges the cooking unit assembly into counterclockwise rotation as seen in Fig. 1 and thereby serves to establish the cooking unit firmly against the range cooking top in which the heating element coils are substantially parallel therewith.

The cooking unit assembly may be swung to an upward position merely by grasping it at its open center portion. The electrical leads to the heating unit terminals are of course flexible enough to permit the unit to be swung upwardly. The spring portion 12.3 will flex upwardly as the tip 14.2 comes into vertical alignment with the pivot and then will react downwardly as the tip passes the step 12.4. The step forms a detent effective to prevent the cooking unit from dropping against the cooking top even though the unit is relatively heavy and its center of gravity relative to the pivot produces a substantial turning moment.

It is the practice to ground the metallic sheath of the heating elements to eliminate shock hazard. In conventional electric range service in which it is usual to supply 230 volt, single phase, alternating current, the range frame is grounded to the neutral wire of the power system. We insure a fixed grounding path between the sheath of the heating elements and the range frame by means of the securement bracket 11 and the spring hinge. The bracket is in secure engagement with the heating element sheaths, and the conductive path is completed through the spider leg 6.1, hinge member 14, and hinge member 12 to the range frame. Even if after long use the rivet 14.1 loosened to an extent providing an inefficient electrical connection between hinge elements 12 and 14, the continuous pressure engagement between the spring arm 12.3 and the tip 14.2 insures a permanently efiective connection adequately protected against dirt and corrosion.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. in an electric range having a metallic body provided with a horizontally disposed top wall having an opening, the combination of a cooking unit comprising a tubular metallic sheathed heating element arranged in flat coil form and having a downwardly and rearwardly aligned terminal end portion, a metallic structure for supporting said heating element relative to said top wall, and an electrically conductive member connected between said supporting structure and said heating element sheath for securing said heating element relative to said supporting structure for conjoint movement therewith; and means for hingedly mounting said cooking unit on said range body for movement between an operative position in which said supporting structure and thereon supported heating element are disposed within said range body opening in substantial parallelism with said range body top wall, and a raised position, while maintaining an electrical connection between said heating element support structure, said sheath, and said range body, comprising a rigid metallic hinge arm secured to said support structure and terminating in an upwardly extending memher having a clearly-defined apex, a metallic hinge element arranged for securement to said range body top wall in electrical connection therewith and extending beneath said top wall in substantially diametric relation to said opening therein, pivot means for attaching said hinge arm member to said hinge element beneath said top wall laterally remote from the opening therein for rotation in a vertical plane about a fixed pivot point, said pivot means being below the apex of said hinge arm, said apex being between said pivot means and said top wall opening when said cooking unit is in operative position and more remote from said opening than said pivot means when said hinge arm is swung to move the heating unit to raised position, and a metallic spring arm extending from said hinge element to overlie said upwardly extending hinge arm member in continuous pressure engagement with the apex thereof, whereby said spring arm will urge said hinge arm into rotation toward or away from said range body top wall opening according to the relative position of said apex and pivot point.

2. The combination according to claim 1, in which the means for securing said heating element relative to said supporting structure comprises a rigid metallic bracket extending downwardly and rearwardly from said supporting structure and terminating in a member extending transversely across said heating element terminal end portion, and a clamping member carried by said bracket and engaging the metallic sheath of said terminal end portion to maintain it securely in electrical contact with said bracket.

3. In an electric range having structure providing a cooking top formed with an opening for the reception of a cooking unit in an operative position substantially parallel with said cooking top, the combination of a cooking unit removably positioned in said opening and including rigid support means and a heating element arranged on said support means in fiat coil form, means for securing said heating element on said support means, and means for hingedly mounting said cooking unit relative to said cooking top for movement between said operative position and a raised position, including a rigid hinge arm secured to said support means and terminating in an upwardly extending member having a clearly-defined apex disposed beneath said cooking top; a hinge element secured to said cooking top and extending beneath said cooking top in substantially diametric relation to said cooking top opening; pivot means disposed below said apex for attaching said hinge arm member to said hinge element beneath said cooking top laterally remote from the opening therein for rotation of said hinge arm in a vertical plane about a fixed pivot point, said apex being between said pivot means and said cooking top opening when said cooking unit is in operative position and more remote from said opening than said pivot means when said hinge arm is swung to move the cooking unit to raised position, and a spring arm extending from said hinge element to overlie said upwardly extending hinge arm member in continuous pressure engagement with the apex thereof, whereby said spring arm willurge said 5 hinge arm into rotation toward or away from said cooking top opening according to the relative position of said apex and pivot point.

4. The combination as in claim 3, in which said spring arm has a shoulder engageable with said apex when said hinge arm is swung to move said cooking unit to raised position, to provide a yieldable detent for retaining said unit in said position.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Sharp Feb. 24, 1942 Vogel Aug. 29, 1944 Sutherland Dec. 21, 1948 Kirk Aug. 21, 1951 Smith Mar. 31, 1953 

